Philip Roth (1933–2018)

What is This Book About? This book tells the story from the perspective of a young Philip Roth living in an alternate Newark, New Jersey, in which FDR loses his third term as president to Charles Lindbergh. Well known for his flight across the Atlantic, piloting the Spirit of St. Louis, Lindbergh runs for office on an isolationist platform, trying to keep the United States out of World War 2. Pearl Harbor had not occurred yet, but FDR seemed to be placing the nation on a war-footing. For his heroic-like popularity, Lindbergh is elected to the presidency and begins negotiating peaceful relations with Adolph Hitler. Philip Roth tells the story of his life and family under the Lindbergh administration, slowly victimized by populist and governmental anti-Semitic events and policies that take hold of the nation.

My Review: This is a haunting story of an America that never was. It takes well researched and biographical information and tells a story of something that could have been. It’s a warning against fascism, anti-Semitism, and racism. What I especially liked about this book was how subtle the forces of anti-Semitism started to rear its ugly face in a slow boil of hatred disguised as patriotism. Families are polarized politically as Philip Roth tries to survive his simple boyhood amongst the chaos.

Read this if you enjoy history and want to get a real good feel for what the 1940s were like.

Read this to understand the nature of populism and the fragility of democracy.… (more)

This novel is about young gym teacher struggling to find his place in the world of WWII and the polio epidemic. It's a fairly straightforward story and an easy read. The plot is basically just horrible though--- kids constantly dropping dead and getting crippled. I see that Roth is attempting to focus on Bucky's unusual psychological profile as the cause of his "downfall" and while interesting, the structure of the story makes everything feel anticlimactic and unreal. Definitely not one of Roth's best IMO.… (more)